Pivotal rear sight for firearms



Nov. 16, 1943. D. M. WILLIAMS PIVOTAL REAR SIGHT FOR FIREARMS Filed June 5, 1942 ma M Myx/kms YM A rw. By; 11,11 V] Patented Nov. 16, 1943 PIVOTAL REAR SIGHT FOR FIREARMS David M. Williams, New Haven, Conn., assigner to Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application June 5, 1942, Serial No. 445,860

Western Cartridge 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in pivotal rear sights for firearms and relates more particularly to improvements in sights of the character referred to, and which embody two diverging arms or leaves either one of which may be swung into position for use at the same time that the companion arm is retired.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a superior pivotal rear sight for rearms which combines ruggedness with low cost for manufacture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superior pivotal rear sight for rearms and comprising a short-range arm and a longrange arm and in which means is provided for guarding against the accidental bending or distortion. of the said long-range arm when the latter is in its retired position.

With the above and other objects in View, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes al1 features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art and which are not claimed in any separate application.

In the accompanying drawing, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a firearm equipped with a rear sight made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the pivotal rear sight on a larger scale than Fig. 1, and showing a fragment of the receiver upon which the sight is mounted;

Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the structure of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of the structure of Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view of the sight-base detached;

Fig. 7 is a similar view of the pivotal sight-leaf detached; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the detent-spring detached.

Pivotal rear sights made in accordance with the present invention may, of course, be employed in connection with a wide variety of firearms, but the firearm chosen for illustration in the accompanying drawing comprises a receiver I0, a barrel II projecting forwardly from the said receiver, a stock I2 underlying the said receiver I0 and the major portion of the barrel II, and a barrel-cover I3 located over the top of the rear portion of the barrel II in accordance with common practice in military firearms. The receiver I Il and barrel II are preferably made of highgrade steel, while the stock I2 and barrel-cover I3 are preferably made of wood or other heatinsulating and shock-absorbing material, all in accordance with usual practice in military firearms.

The particular firearm shown has its receiver Il) provided near its rear end with an upwardlyextending receiver-lug I4 having a iiat horizontal top I5. The receiver-lug I4 is formed about midway of its length with a transverse dovetailgroove I6 which opens through the top I5 of the receiver-lug I4 and which extends completely through the said receiver-lug from side to side thereof.

Mounted in the dovetail-groove I6 of the receiver-lug I4 with a drive fit, is the depending transverse dovetail-rib I'I of a sight-base designated as a whole by the reference character I8. At its rear end, the sight-base I8 is formed with a rearwardly-projecting flange I9 which overlies the portion of the flat top I5 of the receiver-lug I4 located immediately to the rear of the dovetail-groove I6. The sight-base I8 is also provided with a forwardly-extending flange 20 which overlies the portion of the fiat top I5 of the receiverlug I4 located immediately forwardly of the dovetail-groove I6, as is especially well shown in Fig. 2.

About midway of its length and on each of its respective opposite sides, the sight-base I8 is provided with one of two complemental mountingears 2 I-2I respectively extending upwardly from the said sight-base on each of the opposite sides of an upwardly-opening longitudinal clearancerecess 22 in the said sight-base I8. The said clearance-recess 22 extends throughout the entire length of the top portion of the sight-base I8 and where it extends through the anges I9 and 20 of the said sight-base the said clearance-recess is relatively shallow while its central portion sweeps downwardly to a relatively-great depth, as is especially well shown in Figs. 2 and 6. Extending lengthwise in the clearance-recess 22 of the sight-base I8 is a plate-like detent-spring 23 which may be conveniently formed of spring steel and which is formed at each of its respective opposite ends with one of two downwardly-extending locating-fingers 24-24 respectively located adjacent the rear and front faces of the anges I8 and 20 of the sight-base I8.

Laterally spanning the gap between the upstanding mounting-ears 2 I-2I of the sight-base I8 is a pivot-pin 25 which is supported at its opposite ends in the adjacent one of the two said mounting-ears 2 I-2I respectively. Pivotally mounted upon the intermediate portion of the pivot-pin 25 is an L-shaped sight-leaf generally designated by the reference character 26 and comprising in the main two diverging sight-arms 21 and 28. The sight-arm 21 is shorter than the sight-arm 28 and is proportioned to function as a short-range sight-arm while the longer sightarm 28 is proportioned to function as a longrange sight-arm. For the functions just referred to, the short-range sight-arm 21 is formed with a peep-sight aperture 29 and similarly the longrange sight-arm 28 is formed with a peep-sight aperture 30. The peep-sight aperture 29 of the short-range sight-arm 21 is located materially closer to the pivot-pin 25 than is the peep-sight aperture 30 of the long-range sight-arm 28. By way of example, the peep-sight aperture 29 may be positioned with respect to the pivot-pin 25 a distance to give accurate sighting at 10U-yard ranges in conjunction with a front-sight 3l mounted upon the barrel I I, while the peep-sight aperture 35 may be located a sufficiently-greater distance from the pivot-pin 25 to provide accurate sighting at 3D0-yard ranges in conjunction with the said front-sight 3l.

Transversely in line with the peep-sight aperture 3D, the long-range sight-arm 28 is formed on its forward face as is shown particularly Well in Fig. 7, with a forwardly-extending guard-lug 32 which is bisected by the conically-contoured front portion of the said peep-sight aperture 30. As thus located, the guard-lug 32 is located a sufficient distance from the pivot-pin 25 to enable it to engage with the horizontal -top I of the receiver-lug I4 when the sight-arm 28 is retired into its depressed position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Thus while the long-range sightarm 28 extends well forwardly of the front flange 20 of the sight-base .I8 wheny the said sight-arm is in its retired position, nevertheless the said@ sight-arm is supported against being bent downwardly over the edge of the said fiange 20 in theevent that the sight should be accidentally struck.

In addition to its sight-arms 21 and 28, the

sight-leaf 2S is formed at the base of its L-shapedv form with a rounded detent-nose 33 which presses against the upper surface of the flexible center portion of the detent-spring 23. When the short-range arm 21 of the sight-leaf 2B is in its vertical position andthe long-range sightarm 28 is in its depressed position, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 2, the detent-spring 23 acting upon the detent-nose 33 will tend to maintain the sight-leaf in this position. Should the sight-leaf 26 be swung in a counterclockwise direction, its detent-nose 33 will be swung forwardly past the vertical center of the pivot-pin 25, whereupon the tension of the detent-spring 23 will serve to maintain the sight-leaf inthe position in which it is indicated by a broken line in Fig. 2, and in which position the short-range sight-arm 21 is retired and the long-range sightarm 28 is elevated into position for use.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A rear-sight assembly for firearms including in combination: a firearm structure-member; a sight-base secured to the upper portion of the said firearm structure-member land extending upwardly beyond the top-surface thereof; an L-shaped sight-leaf comprising two diverging sight-arms each formed with a sightopening and each constructed and arranged to assume a substantially-vertical position when the other arm is in a substantially-horizontal position; pivot-means pivotally connecting the intermediate portion of the said sight-leaf to an intermediate portion of the said sight-base; one of the said sight-arms of the said sight-leaf being provided with a guard-lug projecting from the outer face thereof to an extent greater than the vertical distance between the top face of the adjacent end-portion of the said sight-base and the adjacent upper surface of the said firearm structure-member; the said guard-lug being positioned a greater distance from the said pivot-means than the distance from the said pivot-means to the adjacent end of the said sight-base so as to project downwardly beyond the said adjacent end for engagement with the top-surface of the firearm structure-member when the sight-leaf having the said guard-lug is swung into its horizontal position; the guardlug of the sight-leaf having the same projecting therefrom a distance sufficient to engage with the upper surface of the firearm structure-member before the sight-leafitself can engage with the upper surfaceof the sight-base.

2 2. A rear-sight assembly for firearms including in combination: a firearm structure-member having a transverse dovetail-groove therein; a sight-base having a transverse dovetail-rib fitting into the dovetail-groove in the said rearm. structure-member, the said sight-base also having a flange extending over the upper face of a portion' of the `firearm structure-member adjacent the dovetail-groove therein; an L-shaped iSight-leaf comprisingtwo diverging sight-arms each'formed with a sight-opening and each constructed and 'arranged to assume a substantiallyvertical position when the other arm is in a substantially-horizontal position; pivot-means pivotally connecting the intermediate portion of the said sight-leafto an intermediate portion of the said sight-base; one ofrthe said sight-arms of the said sight-leaf being provided with a guardlug projecting from the outerface thereof to an extent greater than the vertical thickness of the flange of the said sight-base; the said guard-lug being positioned a greater distance from the said pivot-means than the distance from the said pivot-means to the end of the ange of the said sight-base so as to project downwardly beyond the end of the said flange into direct engagement with the top-surface of the firearm structuremember when the sight-leaf having the said guard-lug is swung into its horizontal position. DAVID M. WILLIAMS. 

